Tree Ring Pens, handmade by forest ecologist Dave Wager, are crafted from trees thinned from an unnaturally dense forest. Such harvesting reduces the likelihood of catastrophic fire, protects old growth trees, and restores the forest to a natural condition.

To create each one-of-a-kind pen, Dave begins by cutting his own trees from forest restoration projects, usually Douglas fir but also western larch. He then cuts short logs and forms pen blanks using a process that ensures each blank contains the pith, the oldest part of the tree in the center, as well as the outer bark. The wood goes through a curing period, then is turned, sanded, protective coated and finally assembled.

By training, Dave is a dendrochronologist, one who is able to date natural events of the past, such as fires, floods, droughts, and earthquakes, through the analysis of tree-ring growth. Each pen shows a start and end date, although you can custom order pens with dates special to your own personal history. Wood display box included.